Oleksandr Tarapon has been released after two and a half years of unlawful imprisonment in a high-security penal colony in the Russian Federation.

Following the occupation of Crimea, Oleksandr Tarapon actively opposed Russian propaganda. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the emergence of evidence of mass war crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine, he took part in an act of civil resistance: placing leaflets in a village where a relative of his wife — a Russian serviceman — lived. The leaflets featured the serviceman’s photo with the caption “A war criminal lives here. A child killer.” Tarapon was arrested in the early hours of March 31, 2022, in Alushta, after security forces discovered the anti-war materials. As a result of this peaceful protest, the occupation administration charged him with so-called “discrediting the Russian armed forces.”

On 21 October 2022, the occupation court in Alushta unlawfully sentenced Oleksandr Tarapon to two years and six months of imprisonment—six months more than what the occupation “prosecutor” had requested. During the announcement of the verdict, the so-called “judge” explicitly stated that Tarapon’s firm civic stance as a Ukrainian citizen was the main reason for the harsh sentence.

In December 2022, Oleksandr was illegally transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation, where he was held for several months in various penitentiary institutions: first in Rostov-on-Don and Volhohrad, then in the cities of Khasavyurt and Makhachkala. In early summer 2023, he was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 3 in Stavropol Krai.

This is one of the first recorded cases in which the occupation administration in temporarily occupied Crimea applied criminal prosecution resulting in imprisonment under the article on “discrediting the Russian army.” Before this, the occupation regime had typically limited itself to administrative penalties. According to human rights defenders, as of March 2025, 1,279 administrative cases under Article 20.3.3 of the Russian Federation Code of Administrative Offenses had been documented, with 1,156 resulting in fines or being merged with other cases.

We call on the international community to take note of this precedent, to support Oleksandr and other victims of political repression, and to intensify pressure on the Russian Federation to demand the immediate release of all political prisoners.